CULTURAL RELATIVISM AND ITS CRITICISMS скачать в хорошем качестве

CULTURAL RELATIVISM AND ITS CRITICISMS

Cultural Relativism and its Criticisms Introduction: • It is philosophy/theory/ approach/tool of anthropological research for objective and holistic analysis of culture. • Propounded by Franz Boas in reaction to Classical Evolutionists. • Other Proponents were- Kroeber, Benedict, Mead, Geertz etc. • Cultural relativism is the idea that a person's beliefs, values, and practices should be understood based on that person's own culture, rather than be judged against the criteria of another. Every culture is unique and has to be understood in its own context. Origin: • Reaction against Cultural Ethnocentrism:  Consideration that beef eating or same sex marriage is inferior.  Considering customs, beliefs or practices as inferior to modern practices.  Consideration that western cultures or white race are superior to non-western cultures or colored people. • Against Cultural imperialism of west • Reaction against Academic Ethnocentrism:  Of Social Evolutionists, who considered the western Victorian cultures was more progressive and advanced than the savage society. Ethnocentrism is an important concept in the study of intergroup relations. William Graham Sumner introduced it, and he advanced the central theorem concerning the concept. In its simplest terms, he held that ethnocentrism—defined broadly as extreme attachment to the ingroup—led to outgroup hate. Moreover, he believed that this link was universal, ingroup attachment and outgroup hate being simply two sides of the same coin. Simply put, it means judging other cultures and people through our own cultural biases or value sets. Significance: • In Anthropological Research: Holism and objectivity in Anthropological research. • It can reduce cultural conflicts- racism, ethnic violence, regionalism etc. thereby can promote world peace and prosperity. • Awareness generation about the unique and bizarre cultural practices of a particular group. • Promote tolerance. • Promote Welfare through bottom-up approach: Helpful in effective policy making and implementation. Criticism of Cultural Relativism: • Violation of Human rights:  Justification of Holocaust by Nazis.  Female genital Mutilation by Dawoodi Vohra and some African Communities.  Cultural practice of head hunting among Naga community.  Practice of witch-hunting.  Foot- binding in China.  Justification for Cannibalism.  Justification for Slavery.  Non-granting of sexual rights to LGBTs. Benedict-Kluckhone debate: Ruth Benedict’s view on Cultural Relativism: • Ruth Benedict, said all cultures are "coexisting and equally valid patterns of life, which mankind has created for itself from the raw materials of existence." • In her view, and in the view of American anthropology of the time, each culture is self-contained, autonomous, separate but equal. • Each makes sense in its own context, and all you have to do is know the context to understand what the people are doing and why they’re doing it. Clyde Kluckhohn on Universals: • Kluckhohn argued that ethical relativity is really a special case of cultural relativity. • This being so, he concluded that Benedict’s doctrine of cultural relativity—coexisting and equally valid patterns of life—precludes moral criticism of any cultural practice, including slavery, cannibalism, Nazism, or communism. • If you adopt Benedict’s position, Kluckhohn suggested, then you can’t be critical of evil as you notice it in the world around you, whatever your favorite examples of evil may be. • To replace Boas’ and Benedict’s relativism, Kluckhohn proposed a set of ethical and cultural universals that, to my ear, are surprisingly void of content. • Example-Thou shalt not kill—is that a universal? Conclusion: Clifford Geertz pointed out that the conservative critics of cultural relativism did not really understand the broader meaning of cultural relativism proposed by Boas and his followers. We shall not confuse the Cultural relativism with moral relativism. Cultural relativism has redefined how the individual cultures should be perceived by the outsiders (thereby helped in promotion of tolerance and world peace), and how anthropological inquiry should be conducted. Moral/ethical relativism refers to the fact that the morality of an individual action is also relative to the cultural, religious, and philosophical standing of a community. So, in a sense it justifies the inhuman practices of a culture.